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I am the founder and organizer of The Portsmouth Book Club which meets on the second Tuesday of every month at Molly Malones Irish Pub. We currently have about 70 members and about 15-20 attend the meetings each month.
As many of you Portsmouth Dwellers are aware of, Molly Malones is gone. We are terribly sad that not only will we be losing this wonderful venue, we will also be losing a wonderful Portsmouth landmark.
Why is Molly's gone? Andrew Corbin, the former owner, told me that he was made an offer he couldn't refuse and it closed in record time. It was a private sale. As many of you know, Andrew recently had a beautiful baby, and this will give him some time to spend at home with his family. Although we may have lost Molly's, we can't be too upset.
So now what? Our Portsmouth Book Club will now be meeting at The Coat of Arms on Fleet Street, same day, same time. And by the way, Andrew told me that we will all be very pleased with the new ownership of Molly's. He hasn't given me any hints yet. (They may even reopen under the same name!)
Our next book club meeting is this coming Tuesday at the Coat of Arms at 7pm. We will be discussing Memoirs of a Geisha. If you would like to join our book club, please feel free to sign up here:
This club is for people who LOVE to get lost in books and are open to exploring different genres not normally in their reading fare!
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We took a Sunday drive up the coast of New Hampshire and stopped in at the Pumpkin Patch to check out what they had to offer.
The signs indicated fresh homemade pies, baked goods, fall decorations, gourds of differing sizes and shapes and of course pumpkins. These are not just your usual pumpkins though - these pumpkins are grown and shipped to New Hampshire from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.
The proceeds from the sale of the pumpkins are split between the Portsmouth First United Methodist Church and the Navajo Indians.
There are pumpkins of all sizes and shapes so bring the kids down to the Pumpkin Patch on 129 Miller Ave in Portsmouth, NH to choose one for each member of your family.
I'm told that because the pumpkins are grown in the dry New Mexico climate they last longer. Even so, once you cut them they begin to deterioriate so you'll need to use either a commercial preservative on your jack-o-lantern or you can make your own.
You'll need 2 tbs vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 quart of water - mix and brush over carved surfaces.
The First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For a full schedule of events, see www.fumcportsmouth.net.
Judy Tuscano, REALTOR
Your NH Real Estate Professional
Prudential Verani Realty
603-498-2263 cell phone
If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell property in New Hampshire please give me a call to help guide you through the process.
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Portsmouth NH Real Estate Market Update - September 2008
Real estate is always one of the topics of conversation wherever we go, because who isn't interested in real estate and how markets are doing! Someone is always looking to buy a home, sell a home, or they know someone thinking about buying or selling real estate of some sort.
Home sellers and home buyers in Portsmouth NH are no different, and I get asked about the New Hampshire real estate market all the time. I love real estate, and helping people buy and sell homes and condos, so I never tire of real estate conversations!
Here is how the real estate market here in Portsmouth did for the month of September 2008:
The numbers above are showing us an absorption rate for homes in Portsmouth NH to be just under 5 months. The absorption rate tells us how long it would take to absorb the current inventory of homes for sale in Portsmouth NH if no other homes came on the market for sale. This month's absorption rate has improved over August's absorption rate for Portsmouth NH homes.
Thinking about making Portsmouth New Hampshire your home? Call me today at 888-349-5678 x 3839, or send me an email at ann@anncummings.com, and let's talk real estate!
Related Reading:
Seacoast New Hampshire Real Estate Market Reports
Absorption Rates and Why They're Important to Know




Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
RE/MAX Coast to Coast
Portsmouth NH
ann@anncummings.com
888-349-5678 x 3839
Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine 

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Fall is my favorite time of the year, October is my favorite month, and Halloween is my favorite holiday.
Over the years I have
made my share of Halloween costumes and many of them have been pretty creative.
There are plenty of great costumes available at the stores this year, but if you really want to make some memories, try making your own or making costumes for your kids. It can be so much fun!

Animal costumes are always popular and you
can get a simple pattern that will enable you
to make many different animals.
Depending on the shape of the ears, type of
tail and choice of fabric, one pattern can go a
long way.
Years ago I created these costumes for my
children to be The Three Bears, using my
daughter's Cabbage Patch Kid as Baby Bear.
The same pattern was used to make Bo Peep's lamb costume.


I was so happy with this half girl/half boy costume I made my daughter, that I decided
to make an adult version: half bride/half groom. They weren't that hard to make, I cut the clothes in
half and sewed them together. I even made my mother and my aunt costumes... half bridesmaid/half groomsman and we had the whole wedding party.

Costumes for groups of people can be
really fun...
Creating the
Addicted to Love girls
was pretty easy...clothes, makeup, and hair had to be
the same and we made the guitars using foam board
and black electrical tape.
Other group costumes we have made included:

The hand costume was horrible to wear, we were enclosed from head to toe and had no use of our arms. It was not fun, but we won the contest we created the costume for. Not for the faint of heart!
The Easter basket was not confining, but we had to move as a unit. It was created by sewing fabric around a hoop made from pvc pipe. We also won a contest that year. You gotta really like someone to walk around in a basket with them all night long! Choose your basket mates wisely.

I'm a big fan of optical illusion costumes.
I created this Fairy costume by first sewing the mushroom
and stuffing the mushroom cap. The cap is like a donut
with a whole in the center. It was worn like a skirt.
The tutu type fairy skirt and fake legs are tied around my
waist after putting on the mushroom skirt. You can't see
them, but I'm wearing wings on my back.
It was a really cute costume. It looked even better and more
realistic on a child.

One of my favorite costumes
was this Rabbit in a Hat.
The hat was created by first making the rim
from cardboard and covering it with fabric. Then
I attached the fabric that formed the hat, using
a hula hoop sewed into the hem to weigh it down.
The hat is actually hanging from my shoulders using
fishing line for straps.
What was convenient about this costume was the fact that I could simply remove the straps from my shoulders and drop the hat to the ground and step out of it whenever I needed to. It transported really easily too.

One of my more dramatic costumes was this
skeleton in a coffin. It doesn't photograph well, and
was far more impressive in person. My uncle, Jim, hand
painted the skeleton onto my body suit with me wearing it.
That was a really one-of-a-kind experience.
I made the coffin using a foam board presentation display,
covering it with fabric, which went to the floor. The coffin
had wire hooks on the inside which slipped over my shoulders,
enabling me to walk around hands free, coffin and all.

My skeleton costume was recycled by my daughter.
Lose the coffin, add an orange vest and hard hat...voila:
you have Skeleton Crew.
Her boyfriend had the highway barrel...I can't tell you
why or how he got it...that information is classified...
but he cut holes for his head and arms and wore
a light on his head.

I hope you enjoyed my photos, but more importantly, I hope they have inspired you to get creative and have fun this year making costumes of your own.
If you create something special, or have made costumes in the past, please share a photo in the comment section. I would love to see them!
TO RECEIVE FUTURE POSTS BY EMAIL CLICK HERE
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Thinking about selling your home or condo in Portsmouth NH? If so, this is a great season to help enhance the beauty of your home!
Fall colors and scents are glorious here in New Hampshire and Maine. Embrace them and put them to use to help showcase your condo or home to potential Portsmouth homebuyers.
Fall here in the Seacoast is just gorgeous, and these tips will help you incorporate that beauty into your Portsmouth NH home to help potential buyers see that beauty as well!
Some of these tips are common sense, and some add a really nice welcoming feeling to potential buyers and their agents, and they all offer homeowners easy things to think about doing if their home is for sale.
-- "Curb Appeal" - never forget to think about those all-important 'first impressions'. With the gorgeous colors of fall leaves, this can add to a home's already existing appeal, however all those leaves laying around on the ground certainly don't. Clean them up!!
-- "Celebrate the Season" - this is one that I have to admit I wouldn't have given much thought to. Embrace the fall and have fall decorating items--hang a nice fall wreath, arrange some pumpkins & corn stalks - what a nice way to greet people at the front door. Nothing says 'welcome' like a nice display of seasonal things at the entry of a home!
-- "Let the Light In" - oh how important this one is!! If you have heavy curtains or drapes, open them up and let the sun shine in!! Turn on lamps and make your home exude a warmth and welcome for showings.
-- "Your Fireplace" - if you have a fireplace, this is a lovely time of year to show it off. Place a log or two in the fireplace, or if you have a gas fireplace, flick the switch and have a nice fire burning/glowing to welcome potential homebuyers. You can place a nice candle holder in the fireplace that holds several candles. What a great way to say welcome to those looking at your home or condo!
-- "Scents of the Season" - the sense of smell is the strongest sense to appeal to. Most people are greatly enticed by the scents of cinnamon and apples. Bake a fresh apple pie and/or cinnamon cookies - what a great way to welcome potential homebuyers! Leave a plate of these fresh-baked goodies with a note to have buyers enjoy a treat while viewing your home - a very nice touch that they won't forget.
These tips were inspired by an article in Realty Times written by Michele Dawson. They are just as timely today as when they were written several years ago. To read the full article and see more tips, click here....
If you're thinking about selling your Portsmouth NH home or condo, give me a call! We can set up a time to meet and discuss the current Portsmouth area real estate market and ways to get your home S-O-L-D! Call me today at 888-349-5678 x 3839, or send me an email at ann@anncummings.com, and let's talk real estate!



Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
RE/MAX Coast to Coast
Portsmouth NH
ann@anncummings.com
888-349-5678 x 3839
Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine 

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